Resistencia Creativa is a movement in Mexico, whose key strategy is using "massive cabaret" as a tool for political action. According to Jesusa Rodríguez, it is a group that is "representative of the Mexican outrage at the country's political situation. It is also a link to a larger movement that seeks to transform public life in Mexico by peaceful means, through art, political education and empowerment, and creative activism."

Genesis:

Resistencia Creativa arose in response to the electoral fraud of July 6, 2006.

Four days after the elections, in which Felipe Calderón won by a narrow and questionable margin, the candidate Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO) announced he would not accept the "official" results of the election and called a meeting for the following Saturday in El Zócalo, the main square in Mexico City – 500,000 people attended.

Following this convergence, Resistencia Creativa formed out of a meeting at El Hábito, a performance space run by Jesusa and her partner, Liliana Felipe. Although few members from the original meeting remain active, Resistencia’s numbers increased dramatically and met for three years on Sundays from 11 am to 2 pm at the Hemicíclo Juárez de Alameda. Today, the group has roughly 700 members.

Activities:

In the months immediately following the 2006 elections, Resistencia Creativa conducted acts of civil disobedience such as the occupation of 15 buildings belonging to enterprises and institutions that supported the electoral fraud.

These offenses were carried out in an artistically creative way, for example, in one action the group covered buildings with Kraft paper, preventing employees that worked in the buildings from entering. This action lasted 15 consecutive days in the office of the Consejo Coordinador Empresarial, the Mexican Aviation Building, the offices and facilities of Sabritas, Banamex Corporation, the Mexican Stock Exchange, the Santa Fe Shopping Center, and Walmart.

After this initial stage, López Obrador called another meeting in the Zócalo that was attended by one million people. Two weeks later the group had grown to two million. López Obrador suggested they remain in the Plaza, blocking the 18 miles of Paseo de la Reforma, a major artery of the city and one that mainly affects the more affluent areas of the city. During these days, Resistencia Creativa was responsible for cultural activities in the main temple located in the Zócalo.

The first day of the encampment, Resistencia Creativa began to meet in study circles called the Hemicírculo Study (which has continued to meet every Sunday since). This is a public assembly that meets every Sunday to report on the activities of the workers’ movement and the country's situation. They also plan actions and deliver flyers, videos, and copies of Regeneración, a newspaper printed by Gobierno Legítimo and López Obrador.

Conclusion:

Resistencia Creativa is a group that is representative of the Mexican outrage at the country’s current political situation. It is also a link to a larger movement that seeks to transform public life in Mexico by peaceful means, through art, political education and empowerment, and creative activism.

[Jesusa Rodríguez, 2010]